Hangers are devices used to support transmission lines, conduits and cables of a variety of types. Such hangers are used by the telecommunications, construction, and other industries when the line or cable must be secured or supported. For example, hangers are used to support coaxial cables along most, if not all, of their length by attachment to a support structure, such as a cellular telecommunications tower.
Lines and cables of this sort often are smooth, but with slight variations in diameter. Even with standardization, such lines and cables come in a variety of sizes. In the current art, hangers for each cable size are needed. This leads to inefficiency in installation and maintenance, as a number of hangers appropriate to various cable sizes must be stored and carried with technicians during various operations. This problem is exacerbated due to variety in the types of structural member to which the hangers are attached, resulting in a number of different means of attachment.
The growth in the telecommunications industry also has lead to the need to support an increasing number of lines and cables on the same structure. Stackable hangers are known in the prior art, which allow multiple cables to be attached in a stacked or piggy-back fashion. However, known stackable hanger systems tend to increase the wind profile of the system, increasing stress and the likelihood of structural failure.
Accordingly, what is needed is a hanger that can be adjusted in the field to hold and secure cables and lines of different sizes, can be attached to a structural member in a variety of ways, is easily installed, and can be stacked in a structurally sound manner.